State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1940 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 102,629 California births in 1940 across 1,335 distinct names.

Distinctively California

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say California more than they say America.

#75Carmenoutside the national top 200
#48Manuel#147 nationally
#45Pat#134 nationally
#60Tony#142 nationally
#100Julie#180 nationally
#87Rachel#166 nationally
#88Lynda#165 nationally
#46Mike#122 nationally
#98Dick#171 nationally
#97Dianne#167 nationally
#48Diana#117 nationally
#76Charlene#145 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,821US #1
#2Patricia1,675US #3
#3Barbara1,597US #2
#4Linda1,568US #8
#5Carol1,079US #6
#6Judith1,035US #4
#7Sharon916US #17
#8Nancy890US #7
#9Sandra839US #10
#10Judy734US #16
#11Susan630US #36
#12Donna629US #23
#13Margaret625US #11
#14Betty603US #5
#15Joan586US #14
#16Diane582US #45
#17Shirley582US #9
#18Carolyn553US #15
#19Marilyn518US #25
#20Joyce508US #13
#21Virginia502US #21
#22Gloria468US #30
#23Beverly439US #27
#24Janice428US #22
#25Janet410US #19
#26Dorothy393US #12
#27Bonnie371US #39
#28Frances370US #28
#29Kathleen346US #40
#30Helen339US #18
#31Alice334US #32
#32Karen334US #34
#33Carole330US #49
#34Jean316US #29
#35Elizabeth298US #20
#36Ann293US #35
#37Dolores280US #67
#38Irene280US #73
#39Ruth271US #24
#40Darlene270US #79
#41Martha265US #26
#42Joanne259US #54
#43Phyllis257US #33
#44Gail248US #65
#45Pat248US #134
#46Sally245US #61
#47Norma240US #43
#48Diana237US #117
#49Brenda231US #42
#50Marie227US #41
#51Roberta225US #71
#52Elaine210US #50
#53Evelyn209US #48
#54Rose193US #44
#55Marjorie191US #64
#56Lois189US #38
#57Loretta188US #69
#58Marlene188US #80
#59Arlene187US #75
#60Anita186US #87
#61Peggy181US #37
#62Geraldine180US #46
#63Charlotte179US #55
#64Jacqueline177US #76
#65Sylvia172US #62
#66Joann171US #63
#67Jo169US #72
#68Sue169US #81
#69Connie168US #88
#70Eleanor167US #68
#71Louise165US #59
#72Doris164US #31
#73Katherine159US #92
#74Maria152US #119
#75Carmen151
#76Charlene150US #145
#77Catherine147US #53
#78Suzanne147US #109
#79Esther145US #131
#80Yvonne145US #110
#81Jane138US #47
#82Jeanette136US #90
#83Deanna133US #136
#84Josephine131US #89
#85Rosemary131US #85
#86Jeanne130US #129
#87Rachel129US #166
#88Lynda127US #165
#89Kay125US #77
#90Marcia125US #112
#91Wanda125US #52
#92Ellen124US #74
#93Juanita119US #78
#94Patsy118US #57
#95Rosalie117US #139
#96Anne115US #84
#97Dianne115US #167
#98Lorraine113US #95
#99Maureen113US #135
#100Julie111US #180

Boys

#1Robert3,120US #2
#2John2,420US #3
#3Richard2,219US #5
#4James2,101US #1
#5William1,799US #4
#6David1,554US #7
#7Gary1,183US #19
#8Ronald1,160US #10
#9Michael1,124US #18
#10Charles1,051US #6
#11Donald1,023US #9
#12Thomas839US #8
#13Larry826US #13
#14George807US #11
#15Frank683US #20
#16Dennis650US #24
#17Kenneth643US #15
#18Jerry639US #14
#19Edward608US #16
#20Paul558US #17
#21Raymond472US #22
#22Gerald464US #21
#23Joe443US #28
#24Jack438US #29
#25Joseph430US #12
#26Bill390US #67
#27Roger361US #26
#28Stephen359US #49
#29Daniel353US #34
#30Fred339US #40
#31Arthur323US #33
#32Jim320US #78
#33Lawrence317US #36
#34Don312US #62
#35Henry303US #31
#36Bob299US #99
#37Peter285US #43
#38Douglas282US #56
#39Carl281US #32
#40Ralph279US #37
#41Wayne274US #39
#42Walter270US #25
#43Albert266US #41
#44Bruce262US #55
#45Norman259US #48
#46Mike256US #122
#47Harold254US #23
#48Manuel251US #147
#49Roy237US #42
#50Tom233US #92
#51Eugene224US #38
#52Philip223US #60
#53Stanley213US #59
#54Steven203US #119
#55Alfred199US #69
#56Leonard198US #54
#57Anthony195US #46
#58Terry193US #73
#59Phillip187US #79
#60Tony187US #142
#61Dale185US #57
#62Ernest184US #58
#63Patrick181US #74
#64Harry176US #47
#65Louis176US #50
#66Alan168US #88
#67Howard166US #45
#68Ray164US #77
#69Gilbert163US #124
#70Steve161US #121
#71Melvin158US #53
#72Johnny154US #51
#73Allen148US #71
#74Leroy144US #66
#75Ronnie139US #101
#76Billy138US #27
#77Victor135US #120
#78Jimmy127US #44
#79Gordon126US #91
#80Russell125US #72
#81Earl123US #52
#82Barry122US #109
#83Eddie122US #81
#84Lee121US #80
#85Danny120US #126
#86Clifford116US #94
#87Tommy116US #76
#88Marvin113US #63
#89Jose112US #148
#90Bobby109US #30
#91Edwin108US #96
#92Gene108US #70
#93Warren108US #110
#94Jon106US #123
#95Timothy106US #135
#96Frederick102US #68
#97Lloyd102US #100
#98Dick101US #171
#99Allan98US #115
#100Martin97US #85

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑29Terry#58
↑26Brenda#49
↑23Sue#68
↑20Bonnie#27
↑19Phillip#59
↑19Steve#70
↑18Stephen#28
↑18Steven#54

Falling

↓21Rosalie#95
↓20Maria#74
↓17Anne#96
↓15Deanna#83
↓14Sally#46
↓14Norman#45
↓13Gilbert#69
↓12Eleanor#70

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.